Fountain pen with filling cap



J1me 1953 M. c. GQTTLIEB 2,640,216

FOUNTAIN PEN WITH FILLING CAP Filed Feb. 26, 1947 FIG.4

Patented June 2, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOUNTAIN PEN WITHFILLING CAP Max C. Gottlieb, New York, N. Y., assignor to- S'peedryProducts, Inc., New York, N. Y.

Application February 26, 1947, Serial No. 730,917

4 Claims. 1

My invention relates to fountain pens of the type utilizing a piece offelt or other absorbent material as a nib, and is an improvement on thepen disclosed in the patent of Sidney N. Rosenthal, No. 2,416,596, filedFebruary 4, 1944, for a fountain pen. Pens of this type are particularlyuseful for making broad lines as in printing or writing upon placards,signs, and packing cases, and for addressing packages for mailing, andfor general shipping and stockroom use.

Such pens have an ink reservoir in the barrel partly filled with anabsorbent material from which ink is fed to the nib or brush bycapillary action, the inner end of the nib or brush sticking into thebarrel far enough to contact the outer end of the filling, and thisinvention aims to provide convenient means for retaining the ink and forrefilling the barrel with ink.

Other aims and objects of the invention are to prevent leakage of theink from the barrel through the nib due to changes in temperature andbarometric pressure or other causes, and to maintain a satisfactory flowof ink from the reservoir to the nib of the pen.

The invention comprises the improved pen barrel and filling bulb or cap,and the novel pad of ink absorbent material for use therewith, bothsingly and in combinationwith each other.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear inconnection with the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a longitudinal'axial cross-section of a pen provided with theusual cap on one end and a rubber filling sac or cap on the other end;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with the cap and rubber fillingsac removed;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the nib end of the pen, taken on the line33 in Fig. l, the end of the nib being shown in elevation;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the barrel end of the pen with the capremoved on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a side view in perspective of the pad of ink absorbent fillingmaterial removed from the barrel.

The same reference characters are used to represent the same partsthroughout the several views.

The pen illustrated in the drawings comprises a barrel i0 preferablymade of hard rubber, hard plastic material, or metal such as aluminum orother light metal or alloy. The barrel is closed at one end except for asmall orifice II, and is open at the other end to receive the nib holderI8, being provided with internal screw threads cooperating with externalthreads on the inner end of the nib-holder in order to hold the lattersecurely in place. The barrel. is packed with absorbent filling material[9 secured by a felt Washer 20 and maintained in contact with the innerend of the writing nib as hereinafter described.

A nib 24 of felt or other suitable ink absorbent material preferablyhaving a pointed outer or writing end and a square stem 25, extendsthrough the nib holder 18 with its inner end in contact with the washer20 and end of the packing material l9, as shown in Fig. 1. The packingmaterial is compacted into pad form and preferably the adjacent ends ofthe nib and ink pad are bevelled as at 21 to project through the hole inthe washer 20 into intimate contact with each other so as to provide aneasy and certain path for ink to fiow by capillary action from theabsorbent pad to the point of the nib.

-A removable cap 26 is provided for covering the point of the nib whenthe pen is not in use. This may be fitted with the usual pocket clip 28for securing the pen in the pocket of the user.

The absorbent cotton, felt or other ink retaining material composing theink pad I 9 preferably is compaoted in a square or rectangular strip andheld inshape-by a fine wire 33 wrapped around it from end to end,thereby constituting asomewhat springy length of absorbent materialwhich only partly fills the barrel, there being space between it and thebarrel for its entire length. It is squeezed between'the washer 20 anda' similar washer 34 at the closed end of the barrel so that it is underslight compression, the wire wrapping tending to cause it to straightenout and expand lengthwise. The Washer 34 is provided with a central holeregistering with the hole II in the closed end of the barrel, and isslightly'larger' than the inside of the barrel so as to fit snuglywithin it. Its affinity for ink is such as to prevent leakage of smallamounts of surplus ink through the orifice l l.

The closed end of the barrel is fitted with a soft rubber compressibleoapor filling bulb 35 which has a bead 36 around its open mouth forengaging in the groove 31 surrounding the barrel at its closed end. Thiscap may remain in place on the barrel at all times, but preferably itwill be removed between use for filling the barrel with ink as desired.By dipping the nib end of the pen in liquid ink of the proper fluidityand squeezing the bulb 35 to expel air from the barrel, upon releasingthe bulb some ink will be drawn into the barrel, where it will beabsorbed and retained by the filling material. The size of the bulb istoo small to permit overfilling the reservoir space not occupied by thepad I9, and the ink thus drawn into the barrel is quickly absorbed andretained by the material composing the pad.

The viscosity of the ink and the relative sizes of the nib and pad andabsorptive property of the latter, and the amount of free space in thepen barrel and nib holder, are such as to permit quick filling of thereservoir by suction and ready flow of the ink therefrom through the nibby capillary action. The arrangement of the absorptive material andwashers is'suchas'to prevent leakage of ink through either end-of thebarrel.

The invention is not restricted to the preferred form of deviceillustrated but what is ciaimedis as follows.

I claim:

1. A fountain pen'comprising a barrel forming an ink reservoir openatoneend and provided with a small aperture at the other end which isotherwise closed, a nib holder having a :bore attached to andcommunicating with the open end of said'reservoir, a nib of absorbentmaterial secured in said bore, said nib having a projecting innerend andthe outer end of said nib projecting beyond the outer end of saidholder, absorbent means substantially .filling said reservoir and havingits outer end in proximity to the inner end of said nib, said nib andabsorbent filling being shaped to make contact at an angle wherebycapillary contact is maintained and excessive compression of theabsorbent means is avoided, in combination with a soft resilient rubbercap having a neck portion embracing said closed end adapted to becompressed to expel air from said barrel and to draw in ink through saidnib end when released, said cap being stretchable for attachment to andremovable from the outer end of said barrel.

2. A fountain pen comprising a'barrel forming an ink reservoir open atone end and provided with a small aperture at the other end which isotherwise closed, a nib holder having a bore attached to andcommunicating with the open end of said reservoir, a nib of absorbentmaterial secured in said bore, said nib having a projecting inner endand the outer end of said nib projecting beyond the outer end of saidholder, absorbent means substantially filling said reservoir and havingits outer end in proximity to the inner end of said nib, said nib andabsorbent filling being shaped to make contact at an angle wherebycapillary contact is maintained and excessive compression of theabsorbent means is avoided, in combination with a soft resilient rubbercap having a neck portion embracing said 3 closed end adapted to becompressed to expel 4 air from said barrel and to draw in ink throughsaid nib end when released.

3. A fountain pen comprising a barrel forming an ink reservoir open atone end and provided with a small aperture at the other end which isotherwise closed, a nib holder having a bore attached to andcommunicating with the open end of said reservoir, a nib of absorbentmaterial secured in said'bore, said nib having a projecting inner endand the outer end of said nib projecting beyond the outer end of saidholder, expansible absorbent means substantially filling said-reservoirand having its outer end in contact with the inner end of said nib, saidexpansible absorbent means pressing against said nib whereby capillarycontact is maintained, in combination with a soft resilient rubber caphaving a neck portion embracing said closed end adapted to be compressedto expel air from said barrel and to draw in ink through said nib endwhen released.

4. A fountain pen comprising a barrel forming an ink reservoir open atone end and provided with a smallaperture at the other end which isotherwise closed, .a nib holder having a bore attached to andcommunicating with the open end of said reservoir, a nib of absorbentmaterial secured in said bore, said nib having a projecting inner endand the outer end of said nib projecting beyond the outer end of saidholder, absorbent eans under slight compression substantially fillingsaid reservoir and having its outer end in contact with the inner end ofsaid nib whereby capillary contact is maintained, in combination with asoft resilient rubber cap having a neck portion embracing saidclosed-end adapted to be compressedto expel air from said barrel and todraw .in ink through said nib end when released, said cap beingstretchable for attachment to and removal from the outer end of saidbarrel.

MAX C. GOTTLIEB.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 334,046 Pinkham Jan. 12, 1886 554,933 Jensen Feb. 18, 1896704,577 Puff Juiy 15, 1902 1,182,554 Garvey May 9, 1916 1,297,675 GarveyMar. 18, 1919 2,090,354 Massman Aug. 1'7, 1937 2,122,580 Morris July 5,1938 2,222,290 Fougera Nov. 19, 1940 2,396,058 Bath Mar. 5, 19462,416,596 Rosenthal l Feb. 25, 1947 2,453,201 Cushman Nov. 9, 1948FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 596,990 France Aug. 21, 1925

